ADDP names Brewer 'Legislator of the Year'

Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, who has spent many years working on behalf of people with disabilities and the thousands of state employees who provide services to them, was recently named "Legislator of the Year" by the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers (ADDP).

Brewer will be presented with an award on March 18 at the ADDP Annual Conference and Expo at the DCU Center in Worcester. The eight-term senator has dedicated much of his time in office to assisting people living with disabilities, supporting their families, promoting efforts to ensure community options for disabled people are preserved, and striving to prevent crucial services from being cut.

"Through Sen. Brewer's efforts and advocacy, human services have been given their just attention in the leadership of the Senate," said Gary Blumenthal, the president and chief executive officer of ADDP. "Sen. Brewer knows and understands people with disabilities and their families. He also uniquely understands the challenges in building a quality system of supports and services that allows people with disabilities to live successfully in the community."

Blumenthal also praised Brewer's continued commitment to disabled peoples, as he often has a very busy schedule of events each week courtesy of his position as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. In addition, as the representative of Massachusetts' second largest senate district, he files dozens of bills during each legislative session on behalf of individuals, towns in his district, and various groups and organizations.

For more on this story, please see tomorrow's Southbridge Evening News.